Cooking camp attendees from many states

By Jim Obert

Business Today

Whippoorwill Lake, off Highway 51 in Bollinger County between Marble Hill and Zalma, is a 135-acre, family-oriented campground that offers cabins, RV sites with electrical hook-ups, walking and horse-riding trails, a well-stocked 14-acre lake with sand beach, a stage for musical events, hot showers and more.

During three days in late September, EMG Productions, a video company based in Marble Hill, filmed 13 half-hour episodes of "Campfire Cafe." Hosted by Johnny Nix, an Alabama blacksmith and farrier by trade, "Campfire Cafe" is about cooking outdoors using "cowboy cookware." The show also features segments related to camping and traveling with horses.

Larry Wiseheart, who handles sales and marketing for the show, moved to the area from Texas 14 months ago. He said the first "Campfire Cafe" series was filmed last year at Sam A. Baker Park, and the series can be seen on the RFD channel on satellite and cable TV and on PBS. The new series will begin airing on RFD on Feb. 4 and on PBS in September.

Dozens of people attended the cooking camp.

"All we did was mention it on our Web site (campfirecafe.com) and we got calls from all over," said Wiseheart. "There are people here from Minnesota, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio. People who want to learn how to cook over an open fire.

"Johnny (Nix) is the teacher. He prepares the recipes while everyone watches. Then the participants, in groups of four, go their pits and cook the same recipe, but it's not just beans, potatoes and steaks."

The cooking pits were spread out on the sand beach of the lake. Each pit was equipped with pitch black cowboy cooksets -- side posts, cross bar, hanging hooks, fire poker, lid lifter, swing grill, utensil holder, Dutch oven and pots and pans. The cookware was designed by Nix and carries the trade mark Cowboy Cookware

"Me and my wife have been trailriding and campfire cooking for 20 years," said Nix. "I met the people at EMG Productions on a trail ride a few years ago, and they asked me to be in the TV show."

Nix said "Campfire Cafe" is the only TV show he does. His full-time job is shoeing horses.

The show features a variety of recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Nix said cooking over a campfire requires more knowledge and expertise than cooking on a backyard barbecue grill. Some of his culinary delights are grilled salmon, seafood quiche, venison torte, rack of lamb, lemon rice pilaf, three-seed rolls, pumpkin crunch cake and honey marmalade loaf.

The first show of the series, which airs Feb. 4, will feature grilled salmon, escalloped corn, 3-seed rolls and balsamic salad. The last show, which airs April 29, will feature tortilla soup, Florentine crescent rolls and stuffed baked apples.

James McNeely of San Sabo, Texas, learned of the cooking school through an Internet site. A paramedic, McNeely said this was his first visit to Missouri.

"I came here with grandpa to learn some Dutch-oven cooking," he said.

Dana and Tom Adams of Rabun Gap, Ga., also learned of the event through the Internet. They were interested in learning how to cook Cajun soup and apricot shortbread.

Pam Alford is the owner of EMG Productions. About four years ago she began producing videos for clients in the equine industry, mostly horse trainers. That evolved into producing TV shows for horse trainers.

"I put on an annual event at Raymondville called "Ride With the Stars," said Alford. "There's between 300 and 500 horses and their owners there, and 10 of the nation's top trainers. Johnny Nix was a staff member of the event, and he would cook for the staff of about 26.

"It got to a point with the TV show where I had an empty slot. So I asked Johnny if he'd like to do a cooking show and he said yes."

John and Lorraine Hedges own Whippoorwill Lake. Originally from Campwood, Texas, they bought the campground in 1999.

"I've built golf courses and recreational facilities for other campgrounds, but this is the first one I've owned," said Hedges. "I wanted a campground I could further develop."

Hedges added a horse camping facility this year. Some of the attendees at "Campfire Cafe" brought horses.

The campground is open from May to November. "Then we go to Texas for some deer hunting and come back and open up the cabins in January," said Hedges. "We're working toward being open 10 months a year."